A Mean Old Lady and her Money
by jenrin
Summary: Synopsis:  Just a small missing scene from episode 19 that explains how Alex REALLY got that check.   I mean come on, the mean old lady did NOT leave Alex the check in her will.
1. Chapter 1

A Mean Old Lady and her Money are not so Easily Parted

Author: Jenrind

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Don't own Callie/Arizona or Grey's Anatomy, wish I did. Not only would I be rich, but then the characters would do exactly what I wanted. Of course, then all of the fans would be yelling at me. They'd tell me that I don't really know these characters at all, not like they do, and they'd ask me dumb questions, like why do I hate Meredith, why'd I kill off half the cast (duh), and then they'd stomp out in a huff promising to never watch again...hmmm, maybe not owning them and not being rich isn't so after all!

Comments: I love Alex. But I found him getting his 11th hour windfall check from the mean old lady to be just a tad over-the-top. (Talk about a deus ex machina.)

Characters: Callie/Arizona, Callie & Lexie friendship

Synopsis: Just a small missing scene from episode 19 that explains how Alex REALLY got that check. (I mean come on, the mean old lady did NOT leave Alex the check in her will.)

"I need $100,000."

Callie, clad in her now standard sweats and IPAD in hand, was sitting up in her hospital bed putting her mandatory, post second surgery rest time, (thank you very much drill sergeant Robbins) to good use. She was flipping between a recent Medical Journal article about caring for Micropreemies on one page, and the results of her search for the most 'churchy' church and minister in Seattle that would perform a gay ceremony on another. Neither result was exactly giving her the warm fuzzies, but Lexie's out-of-breath intrusion forestalled the imminent tantrum.

She carefully lowered her IPAD and tried desperately to think of something to say other than, "Seriously?"

"Not, oh God, not for me. It's not for, I mean not that I couldn't use $100,000, medical school loans and all, but no, no..it's for Alex." Well then, that explained everything.

"Oh, of course, for Alex," Callie drawled.

"Well, It's not for him, him, it's for the sick kids from Africa, and really, when you look at it that way it's for Arizona...your fiancée." Lexie added the last with a hopeful lilt in her voice to which Callie just arched a skeptical brow.

"Why does "my fiancée" need $100,000?"

"Because she has all of these sick kids in Africa that she's been helping, but she couldn't go to Africa because you and Sofia are here, in the hospital, so Alex thought that he'd help her bring them to Seattle Grace, in order to look good in the race for Chief Resident, and he thought he had the money but the patient died before she could write the check."

"Alex asked a patient for money?"

"For the sick African children! And she was rich…and really mean. It's not as bad as it sounds. But now, the kids are on their way, and there's no money for their treatment and Alex is going to go to jail unless he can come up with…"

"$100,000."

"For small, sick, African children. That your fiancée desperately wants to help. Besides, you owe me."

"Excuse me?"

"You had my boyfriend's baby. You owe me."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"You are still rich aren't you? I mean, I know your dad took your trust fund away and all, but I thought he gave it back to you. He did give it back to you didn't he? Because if he didn't you probably don't even have $100,000...and oh God, Alex..."

"Lexie, stop talking." Lexie abruptly shut up although Callie swore her whole body was still vibrating, so she relented and let her out of her misery.

"You had me at Arizona."

Lexie immediately deflated, "Oh thank God, I thought for sure Alex was toast."

"Nope, just lucky that recently, everytime I see a Sally Struthers' informational I make another damn pledge. Now tell me, what's the name of that rich, mean old lady?"

"Gladys Polcher, why?"

"Because mean old Gladys is about to live up to her promise."


	2. Chapter 2

"How could you?" Lexie Grey shouted as she stomped off the elevator to PEDS, causing all heads to turn.

Karev, the target of Lexie's ire, glanced up from his spot at the nurses station and rolled his eyes, "It's none of your damn business," he said, turning his attention back to the charts.

"None of my?" Lexie's eyes bulged as her eyebrows shot into her hairline as her anger exploded, "You ass! If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even have a job right now - you...you'd be in jail and my sister'd be Chief Resident."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alex demanded, slamming down his charts and finally turning to Lexie.

Callie, who'd been chatting with Arizona prior to Lexie's interruption, immediately recognized the dangerous direction the conversation was taking for her and shot a fierce glare at Lexie...to no avail.

"You honestly think $200,000 miraculously fell from the sky for your African kids?" Lexie asked with unveiled sarcasm.

The mention of money and Africa caused Arizona to raise a confused brow and turn towards her wife, who offered a weak shrug as the shouting continued.

"It didn't fall from the sky - it was a donation that I worked my ass off for!"

"That mean old lady left all her money to the Ayn Rand Society. There wasn't a dime left over for African orphans."

"So how'd I get a check from her estate then, huh?" Alex and Lexie were drawing a crowd and Arizona figured it was time to step in just as Lexie offered her coup de grace.

"You didn't you idiot. Doctor Torres wrote the check after I asked her to save your sorry ass and Doctor Robbins' African kids." Stunned, Arizona turned back around in search of her wife, who was backing away frantically towards the elevator.

"Gotta go, 9-1-1, ER." With one final glare at Lexie, Callie fled into the safety of the elevator.

"Doctor Grey, would you care to elaborate?" Arizona asked with a sharky bright smile and Lexie managed to jerk away from Callie's glare in order to confront Arizona's mockingly innocent brow.

Alex crossed his arms across his chest and offered his own grin as Lexie slowly realized she had just made both the wives mad. Not. Good.

Throughout their entire, 18-hour shift, Callie managed to 'accidentally' avoid Arizona as she worked on her patients and a believable cover story. Since her father had revoked her trust fund, forcing her to live on pizza and sandwiches and extra shifts in the OR, they'd never talked about her family money. Ever. Yes, Arizona had obviously known she and her father had reconciled the previous year. Yes, they were married. Yes, they shared expenses. Yes, there were important legal papers they'd both signed for emergencies.

And yes, Callie had seen Arizona's massive student loan bill come in each and every month and itched to write the check to pay it off once and for all. She'd even made the call once. But she hadn't followed through. Not because she didn't want to. Not because she had any fear that her surgeon wife was some hidden freeloader. But her entire life, the fact that she was rich had colored every single one of her relationships. From dead beat guys living off of her in college and medical school, to George, horrified at the very thought he wasn't pulling his financial weight, running out and sleeping with his best friend. Arizona was...Arizona. Proud. Marine-corp proud. WTF did that even mean? Callie stood in front of her locker, dressed in her street clothes, loath to go home and absolutely terrified it meant she'd blown it yet again.

"There you are," Callie jumped at the sound of Arizona's voice and fumbled to close her locker, nearly climbing inside as she felt Arizona's soft approach.

Back still turned, Callie braced herself for the inevitable attack and began to babble. "Look, I'm sorry okay. Lexie asked me, and she said it was for Karev and your African kids and I know I should have told you, but..." Callie flinched as she felt Arizona's hand on her shoulder, but rather than shoving her into her locker, (No joke, Arizona really did know how to fight dirty) Arizona gently turned her around to face her.

Callie's eyes opened wide in stunned surprise as Arizona leaned in...and kissed her. It wasn't a simple kiss either. Nope, this was a good one. Callie's heart had been pounding with stress and fear, so it took her a moment before she could come down enough to gasp and begin to kiss back, removing her arms from behind her back to Arizona's hips and pulling her closer. Arizona finally broke off the kiss and positively beamed.

"Thank you." She said softly, and Callie goggled.

"You...you're not mad?" Callie asked searchingly.

"Callie, you donated $200,000 to help save my kids when I couldn't go to Africa. That's...beyond awesome. Why in the world would I be mad?"

"You...you didn't ask me. You didn't even tell me there was a problem..."

"You were in the ICU, our daughter was in the NICU – I thought you kind of had enough on your plate."

"Really? Because…George hated it."

Arizona found herself at a loss. "Hated what?"

"The money. I, I paid for our room at the Archfield, and when he found out…I think he felt like I'd emasculated him..."

"Callie…I'm not George. And if you hadn't noticed, I can't really be emasculated." Arizona grinned cheekily and Callie began to relax and even managed to smile back.

"Soooo," She hesitatingly drawled, "It'd be okay then if I maybe, sort of paid off that student loan bill you still have?"

Arizona did take a small step back at that question, "Exactly how rich are we?"

"You remember when Wallace's family made that donation?" Arizona nodded.

"My father made a similar donation to my medical school after graduation." Arizona's eyebrows entered her hairline before she just laughed...

"We are so buying a house...and not a small one either. Uh uh, I want a big one, with a backyard and..."

"Chickens, I know." Callie continued for her with just a small an eye roll because really, even in the midst of the baby debacle of 2009, who could have forgotten that?

Arizona smiled back cheekily, ignoring the small sarcasm as they linked arms for their walk home. "Hey, have you eaten?" She asked suddenly, all thoughts of money disappearing. "I'm starved...wanna go home and order a pizza?"

Callie took a good look at Arizona's face, and all she read was an innocently posed question. She barked a laugh and agreed to pizza. Yep, Arizona was...Arizona.. Thank God.


End file.
